So was I watching a panel show on Sky News yesterday morning? It looked and sounded like it — Simon Benson and Annika Smethurst from News Corp papers on the panel along with first timer, Bridget Brennan from the ABC.
Couldn’t the ABC have found an independent journalist to even the balance — why two News Corp journalists when they have their own, walled-off panel shows in Sky News? News Corp won’t invite ABC journalists onto its political panels on Sky News, so why does the ABC offer News Corp’s political journalists the publicity that goes with being watched by more than 600,000 people on Sunday mornings (instead of the 20,000 to 50,000 at most for Sky News)?
In the evening, Big Brother proved to be a one-week wonder. Bye bye Seven’s rating revival after The Voice (1.35 million on Nine) and Masterchef (1.22 million on Ten) easily squashed the start of week two of the suddenly-weak ‘reality’ program.
The BB eviction fell under a million viewers to 991,000 last night and the lead-up dropped to 978,000.
Nine won easily from Seven and Ten. Seven’s ratings drought resumes after ratings flops like My Kitchen Rules and House Rules. Like those two, Big Brother cannot remain under one million viewers an episode and be called a success, not for the sort of money Seven is paying.
In the regions, Seven News, 562,000, Seven News 6.30, 406,000, The Voice, 428,000, 7pm ABC News, 363,000, 60 Minutes 359,000.
Network channel share:
- Nine (32.0%)
- Seven (25.1%)
- Ten (20.7%)
- ABC (15.0%)
- SBS (7.2%)
Network main channels:
- Nine (24.0%)
- Seven (18.3%)
- Ten (15.6%)
- ABC (11.4%)
- SBS ONE (4.0%)
Top 5 digital channels:
- 10 Bold (3.4%)
- 7mate (3.0%)
- GO (2.9%)
- 7TWO (2.7%)
- Gem (2.4%)
Top 10 national programs:
- Seven News — 1.71 million
- Nine/NBN News — 1.47 million
- The Voice (Nine) — 1.35 million
- Masterchef Australia (Ten) — 1.22 million
- 60 Minutes (Nine) — 1.19 million
- 7pm ABC News — 1.04 million
- Big Brother — Eviction (Seven) — 991,000
- Big Brother (Seven) — 978,000
- Nine Late News — 859,000
- Grand Designs (ABC) — 756,000
Top metro programs:
- Seven News — 1.15 million
- Nine News — 1.06 million
Losers: Big Brother going on Seven
Metro news and current affairs:
- Seven News — 1.15 million
- Nine News — 1.06 million
- 7pm ABC News – 671,000
- Nine News Late — 625,000
- The Project 7pm (Ten) — 501,000
- 10 News First — 330,000
- The Project 6.30 (Ten) — 320,000
- SBS World News — 190,000
Morning (National) TV:
- Insiders (ABC, ABC News) — 628,000
- Landline (ABC) — 449,000
- Weekend Sunrise (Seven) – 426,000
- Weekend Today (Nine) — 279,000
- Offsiders (ABC) — 277,000
- Sports Sunday (Nine) — 208,000
Top five pay TV programs:
- AFL: Sydney v Essendon (Fox Footy) — 255,000
- NRL: St George v Cronulla (Fox League) — 243,0003
- AFL: St Kilda v Bulldogs (Fox Footy) — 219,000
- AFL: GWS v North Melbourne (Fox Footy) — 125,000
- NRL: Pre-Game (Fox League) — 113,000
If there was no Mike Bowers and Talking Pictures, Insiders would not be worth watching. Since February its slide has moved from steep to precipitous. If I wanted to see Sky News I’d join and pay. I don’t choose to and I am weary of seeing it on my ABC. Stop it, Speers.
It’s Rosebutt’s ABC now – limiting access to diverse opinion – she can drag it into the tabloid gutter as far as she likes. Because she can.
From yesterdays bottom scrapings :- Don’t you love how “Limited News genuine” Scotty From Marketing is, when it comes to his apologies about his Rbodebt baby and what he said about slavery – the same week he ranted and played politics over the BLM rallies, under the sanctimonious “health” banner – after campaigning since the virus broke to keep kids at school and for Labor state premieres to open their borders for the sake of the $Holy?
The hypocrisy was breathtaking. David Speers acknowledged that there was a problem with the program the week before because they had discussed black lives matter and not had an indigenous journalist on the panel. Problem solved – they now had Bridget Brennan, one of the many who had complained about last week’s show. Then Speer’s introduced the other two panelists, without a hint of irony, and the real agenda was revealed. This was a perfect example of what the ABC means by balance today. Have a vaguely dissident voice overpowered by the News Corp voice of reason. This is how dissent is silenced or, as Herbert Marcuse put it 60 years ago, the universe of discourse is closed.
Don’t forget Speers’ docile interview of Greg Hunt. Why didn’t he just say, “here’s 15 minutes, go for it”. Pathetic!
Was it an interview? Would never have guessed.
Insiders is rapidly becoming unwatchable. Speers’ rude interruption of guests and panellists is boorish and tedious. If he can’t ask questions which will elicit the answers he seeks, could he let them answer the ones he does ask? His constant striving for the “gotcha” moment is wearing for both the guest and the audience.
I’ve no idea why they took the trouble to recruit this dud from Sky. Ellen Fanning would kill this, and she’s in-house.
You had me up until Fanning.
“Feathers” :-
* Interrupts others, puts words into mouths.
* The way she cites “similar Labor infractions” when the Coalition is caught in embarrassing situations : and revels in Labor’s dire straits sans recollection of similar Coalition history.
* March 2 (of James Arvanitakis) :- “Do you make any observations about the right and therefore libertarians being better at disagreeing than the left?”
* Then there’s the dominance of Coalition politicians (state, federal and serving council) – there are those that say she has no say in the make-up of panels, but two weeks ago she gave an interesting insight into how Murdoch opinionista Claire Armstrong came to be on.
Last week her “old mate” Ewen Jones showed up – goes off about Abbott getting a gong, and his “poli-pedal volunteer work” – both he and Fanning “forgot” about “Travel rorts” and how he had to refund that money he claimed off the tax-payer for “out-of-pocket expenses” incurred during poli-pedal? And she jumped on Nareen Young suggesting how common it was for so many other (unsung heroes) that do the same “Life-saver” thing and have done for years in the same area (where she grew up).
Tingle could have done Insiders chair on her ear. She doesn’t have the agenda.
Fanning is a lightweight. Tingle would run circles around Spears.
Featherweight.
So much for ABC News and current affairs…both dead!
Worst episode of Insiders I’ve ever watched, and probably my last…unless they get rid of Spears.
The whole bloody country’s news services…print, TV and radio…reduced to Sooty from Marketing = good+++, everything even slightly progressive = bad+++.
Just look at the overarching coverage of Victorian Labor’s problems today. Anyone would think the L/NP members across the country have nothing to answer for, when several of the federal cabinet members are corrupt, fraudulent and lying bastards.
And publications, big and small want us to trust journalists????
Give me a break…how hypocritical!!